MiddleSession 2017 February 28, March 21, March 22 Sports of Russia and Eastern Europe Trs. Dan C and Patrick DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES?! If by “miracles” you mean exploring the popular, hockey-like sports of Russia and Eastern Europe, Tr. Patrick and Tr. Dan sure do. In our middlesession group, we will learn about the “Miracle on Ice,” try out feet at ice skating, figure out and play bandy and floorball, and possibly invent our own hybrid-sport! And we’ll eat some nice food! Eastern European Folk Dance and Song Trs. Heather and Jonathan Stand up and dance! Open your mouth and sing! Come learn a variety of folk dances from different Eastern European countries. From Macedonian line dances to Czech polkas, we will explore a wide variety of dance styles. To rest our feet periodically, we will learn some traditional songs from different countries in this region, as well as learning a bit about the different countries where these dances and songs originated. We will even have one or two workshops with local dancers and musicians! Eastern European Folktale Fun Trs. Maureen and Laurie Who are the Baba Yaga, Kikimora, and Vodyanoy? In this course, you’ll learn about these and other famous characters from Eastern European folktales. You’ll explore their stories, uncover what the stories reveal about Eastern European culture, and create your own folktale-inspired project. You could choose to create a board game starring Russian fairy tale villains and heroes, a graphic novel or movie adaptation of a Ukrainian folktale, or anything else you can imagine! We’ll also visit the University of Pennsylvania to learn from an Eastern European folklore expert. The Art of the Egg: An Artsy Eggs-stravaganza Trs. Steph and Anne Have you ever created or seen beautifully decorated Easter eggs? Come join us in learning more about the tradition and symbolism of decorative eggs throughout Eastern Europe. Students will be making several variations of eggs modeled after the famous Faberge (Russian) and Pysanka (Ukrainian) eggs. We will try out a number of techniques including painting, etching, paper mache, and enameling to create our own colorful versions of Eastern folk designs. We will visit a local Ukrainian cathedral to learn about connections between religion and the eggs. We will also sample some authentic Eastern European cuisine for lunch! Parkway Puppetry: Bringing sticks and string to life! Trs. Amanda and Tucker Do you like to create and build with your hands? While puppets often make us laugh, they also deliver political messages and the cultural stories of a people. We will create puppets and design our own puppet theatre production based on the traditions of the Czech Republic. Also, we will meet master puppetmakers, and tour a puppet gallery at Spiral Q and learn more about this remarkable organization. Our group will partner and collaborate with Props to Plotz For! Together we will dine on Eastern European delicacies and perform some scenes at the culminating theatrical event. Creative spirits - artists, actors, and activists - should sign up! Yiddish Theater: Laugh with an Accent Trs. DanCo and Terry We’ll kibitz, write, adapt, perform, eat, produce, shvits in the great tradition of Yiddish Theater! Traveling from ​ ​ ​ ​ the folk traditions of Jews in Russia to the pre-Broadway birth of musical theater we will explore the language, art, and stories that brought an exiled community together. Yiddish theater gave new immigrants a familiar taste of home even as they moved from place to place. We will continue this tradition one step further by adapting a script written for Yiddish theater and presenting it to a modern audience. Students will write, produce, and act in this play. We’ll learn some Yiddish words. We’ll collaborate with Teachers Fred and Aisha in Props to Plotz For! And, of course, we’ll eat some noshes from Schlesingers. Come kvell and kvetch with ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ us! Props to Plotz For! Trs. Aisha and Fred Do you want to learn how to design and create beautiful backdrops, sets and props in the style of the Yiddish theatre in New York, Poland, and Russia? Do you want to learn how to speak some Yiddish and design the playbill cover and poster for the Yiddish Theatre production? If so, this is the Middle Session course for you! We will explore Yiddish Theatre design, including famous artists of the genre, and the traditional and regional themes and customs. In this class, students will visit a Philadelphia theatre to see the work of current professional set designers, take lunch trips off campus and enjoy plenty of plotzing. The culminating event will be a Yiddish Theater experience, L’chaim! From Blini to Borscht ​ ​ Trs. Christa and Herb Are there common foods and tastes that the countries of Eastern Europe share? Students will investigate the culinary roots of Eastern European countries, their similarities and differences. Research a country, learn about recipes, and create an artifact. Come sample cuisine from two Philadelphia restaurants, and prepare a Russian lunch. Please choose 4 mini-courses in order of preference. We will try to make sure everyone gets one of their choices. _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ Student Name ____________________________________________ Parent Signature ___________________________________________ .